BALTIMORE — In the final minutes of Sunday’s 35-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson stood on the sideline with his hood over his head and a scowl after watching his team allow 35 unanswered points after halftime. It is unknown when Jackson will return from a high-ankle sprain, though he said he was “heading in the right direction” at the end of last week. Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell called Jackson “one of the best players in football” and said the team feels better when he is on the field.
Baltimore is dealing with an identity crisis reflected in extreme first-half/second-half swings: the Ravens have outscored opponents by 65 points in the first half but have been outscored by 70 points in the second half. That 135-point disparity between halves is the second-worst through seven games in NFL history, according to ESPN Research, trailing only the 1980 Los Angeles Rams’ 139-point gap.
The Ravens fell to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in AFC North play. Their chances of winning the division dropped to 10.5%, according to ESPN Analytics. Since the AFC North was formed in 2002, only three teams that started 0-2 in division play went on to make the playoffs: the 2011 Steelers, the 2015 Steelers and the 2020 Bengals.
Players have pointed to a mental slump and a search for consistency. “I think we’re just too much [in our] heads [during] the game,” offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley said, while linebacker Roquan Smith said the team is “chasing that consistency” and looking for a missing piece. Baltimore’s offense sputtered on the ground Sunday, producing a season-low 83 rushing yards — the second time in the past five seasons the team failed to rush for more than 100 yards in consecutive games.
Running back Derrick Henry said, “I [have] got to be better” after finishing with 45 rushing yards, his fewest since October 2025; he did not break a run longer than 9 yards. Henry’s 3.9 yards per carry is his worst through seven games since 2019 and ranks 25th in the NFL. Coach Jesse Minter said the team must “search for those better answers” and create continuity on the offensive line. Minter, who was hired for his defensive expertise, acknowledged the defense’s second-half problems: the Ravens have allowed 114 points after halftime this year, the most in the league, and last season allowed 117 points in the second half through seven games, tied for worst. “Starting with me — it was just a bad effort by the defense in the second half and one that I know our guys will look at and not feel good about,” Minter said.
